Way to long!

We are waaaaaaay over due for a family update so I figured I'd just give a recap of the past 2 years. We moved into a new home almost 1 year ago to the day and it has been great! It's only 4 minutes away from our previous home so the boys are still able to see their old friends and attend the same school which is nice. We had quite a scare last June when an accidental fire broke out near by and we were evacuated for 2 days while the fire dept got it under control. It was very scary not knowing if we were going to be homeless or not. But I have to admit it was a good reminder of what we need in case of an emergency. Aaron is still working for Educators Mutual Insurance (EMI Health) as a Computer Programmer and is doing well there. We feel very blessed every day that he is employed as many others we know have struggled to find work during these economic times. He is a wonderful husband and we try to go out at least every other weekend. He still makes me laugh to this day and I'm so thankful for his example. He is currently the Sunday School President in our ward and enjoys gaming a few times a month when he has some spare time. He's going to be running in the Ragnar this summer which will be his 4th year attending. I went with him last summer and it is an experience I will never forget. Much like childbirth. Except you get a t-shirt and a metal instead of a baby. The boys are doing awesome. They have made many new friends and are enjoying school. Jonas has become a little obsessed....well....make that A LOT obsessed with Lego's and is really good at putting his imagination to work. He's quite the engineer. He's still very sensitive and wants to please everyone. He is our little peace maker and plays so well with his friends and even his brothers. He's enjoying 1st grade and loves to read. Kaden is our big 4th grader and has taken quite an interest in skateboarding. He's always had a lot of energy and after talking to his teachers at church, school, and scout leaders...he hasn't let up one bit. But he is very social and makes friends very easily. He's a great big brother (most of the time) and I can't believe he's almost 10 years old. We came close to losing him 2 summers ago while vacationing in St. George. He was swimming at my brothers pool and fell from the top of a 9 ft slide to the concrete breaking his color bone and sustaining a skull fracture as a result. We were life flighted to Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake which brought back so many memories. He was there for a few days and has made a full recovery. It was a miracle. If his shoulder had not broken the fall, he could have suffered permanent brain damage or even death. I have a suspicion that someone was looking out for him that day. Then last summer he decided it would be a good idea to go to a mountain bike park with a friend without permission, without an adult, and without a helmet. You can imagine my shock when I received a call from a stranger that Kaden had fallen and split his chin open requiring 6 stitches. Thank goodness it was only his chin. He could have cracked his head open. Needless to say, he is very active and not afraid of anything, including his parents. (Which terrifies me as he gets older.) But we take these teaching moments and pray that they learn from them. We try to instill in the boys that when we make poor choices, we don't get to choose the consequences. And although they struggle at times with this principal, they are good kids with huge hearts and we are so proud to be their parents. And little Noah, well he has brought so much joy into our family. He just turned two and is talking like crazy! He makes us laugh all of the time. I just want to eat him up. He adores his older brothers and tries to do everything they do which isn't always a good thing. He's really into cars, trucks, trains, motorcycles, pretty much anything with wheels. He's such a boy! But he also LOVES the Toy Story movies right now and has to watch one every day. I can pretty much ad lib all three movies. He is a great napper still and sleeps really well through the night for us. He is also our best eater. He can put Jonas to shame. Poor Jonas is so skinny and small. He is also a very picky eater and we keep telling him that Noah is going to out grow him if he doesn't start eating better. I mean, the toddler will eat whatever I put in front of him and Jonas is in the back round gagging. I mean come on....my cooking isn't that bad, is it? Noah will eat raw tomatoes which I still can't get Aaron to eat. We had a scare with Noah in November when he was hospitalized at Primary Children's with Kawasaki's disease. He was there for 1 week getting a treatment and has make a full recovery.  I hope Jonas isn't feeling left out since he's the only one (knock on wood) that hasn't had a stay in the hospital. Thank goodness for modern medicine. If his diagnosis went untreated, he could have died. But he is back to his old self again. As for myself, I feel very blessed to be able to stay home with the kids. I love that I can be here for them to teach and nurture them as they grow. I love being available to help with homework, projects, scouts, sick days, doctor appointments, volunteering, keeping the house in order, making meals, I love it all. It really is fulfilling and I wouldn't change a thing about my life with the exception that I wish Lucas were here to join in on the chaos. I'm currently serving as the first counselor in the Relief Society and I absolutely love the women I serve with and through this calling have had many opportunities to get to know the sisters in our ward. They have been so welcoming and have embraced our family from day one. Well, I think that pretty much sums it up. I'm sure I've missed a few things here and there but that's what happens when I wait this long to update. Life is good...

Welcome Baby Noah!!!

We are proud to announce the arrival of our newest addition. Noah Riley Nelson was born on January 28th weighing 6 lbs 12 oz and 18 1/2 inches long. He looks just like Aaron and has lots of dark brown hair. The delivery couldn't have gone smoother and we feel very blessed to have a healthy baby boy and a healthy mommy as a result. The boys absolutely love him and can't wait until he's old enough to laugh at the funny things they do. I can already tell he's going to chunk up quickly because this kid is a bottomless pit. He wants to eat all of the time which leaves little time to get anything else done. I feel productive if I can get a shower in during the day. Yesterday we took Noah to the doctor to check him for Jaundice and on the way Jonas asked if he was going to get a prize. I told him I think they only give prizes to the patient and Noah is the patient this time. So, after being on his best behavior during the visit Jonas says, "I'm so excited to get my prize!!! I've been so patient haven't I mom." Just for that comment he got a prize. The doctor said that made his day. Kids are so funny. My parents have been in town from St. George helping us with the kids, housework, etc. and it's been nice having them here. Hopefully I'll get some kind of routine down soon. It's been awhile since we've experienced the whole baby stage. I totally forgot about packing a diaper bag for yesterdays appointment and realized how much thought and planning goes in when going anywhere with a baby. I did manage to remember to pump some breast milk. Of course that does no good when you forget it on the kitchen counter. Anyway...we are so happy and love all of our boys so much. I wonder if Lucas was giving Noah some last min. instructions and warnings about his new big brothers before he was born. Who knows? What a miracle these little spirits are though. You can just tell they come straight from our Heavenly Fathers arms. I asked Aaron to post a few pics soon so hopefully they will be up shortly. I want to thank all of you for your friendship, love, and support! We love you!!!

A day to celebrate!!!

We just returned home from Primary Children's Medical Center for Kaden's bone cyst check up that he has every 3 months. We were told today that his cyst is totally filled in and completely healed!!! We don't have to take him back for another 2 years just to make sure it doesn't come back. I'm so happy that for now we no longer have to worry about his arm breaking due to his bone cyst. I'm so grateful that we are all healthy and hope we never take it for granted. To celebrate we let the boys get ice cream and french fries down stairs at the cafeteria. (I know,not the healthiest lunch, but we felt under the circumstances we'd let the boys pick.) Anyways, Aaron has the whole week before Christmas off work so we have enjoyed having him home. He has been busy converting our camcorder tapes onto DVD so that we can watch them more easily. There is some video we totally forgot we had taken. Some of which contains video of Lucas with the boys. We got a little sad watching them but I'm so glad that we have them. Last night for FHE we had the opportunity to go with friends to a retirement home and visit some elderly people. We sang Christmas carols and took gifts and it was a good experience. I think the boys enjoyed it but they couldn't understand why some of them didn't speak. Well, we are looking forward to Christmas and spending time with family and remembering what Christmas is all about. The boys are still young and are so focused on presents, treats, and playing in the snow. We try to remind them on a regular basis that Christmas is a time to remember our Savior and to do things for others. And our last few FHE activities have focused around what Christmas is all about. But, when asked what their favorite thing about Christmas is, it's still the presents, treats, and snow. Oh, and no school. But, hopefully they'll have a better appreciation as they get older. I don't know how many more years we'll be able to get away with the whole Santa thing. Kaden has asked a lot of questions this year and I feel really guilty lying to him. But, I want just one more year of the magic of Santa for him. He says, "Mom, is Santa real?" I reply with, "Do you believe he's real?" "Yes." "Then he is." And I leave it with that. Jonas wants to know why we don't have a chimney and how Santa gets in. I told him that he has a special key that can open any door. And with that he was satisfied. Well, we wish everyone a very merry Christmas full of peace and love. Until next time....

Shannon

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LUCAS!!!

Lucas,

Today we honor you and remember the joy we felt when you first came to our family and everyday since. Happy Birthday! We love you!

Much to be grateful for...

Well, I first must accept first prize for the worlds biggest slacker. I can't believe it's been 3 months since our last post and for those of you who thought maybe we dropped off the face of the earth, my apologies. Let's see, where to begin? Kaden is in 2nd grade and loves school. Jonas started Preschool this year and is having a blast making new friends and learning many fun things. Halloween was great. We went up to Aaron's parents and my mother in law painted Kaden's face. He was Dracula this year and Jonas was Ironman. They did great Trick or treating and we only got rained on for about 10 min. total which wasn't bad. We had our umbrellas just in case. For Thanksgiving we also went to my in laws and spent the evening eating ourselves stupid and visiting. It was a nice relaxing holiday. The day after we put up the Christmas Tree and made a gingerbread house. It was a sticky mess but the boys did a great job! We found out we are having another boy which I was expecting only because this pregnancy is so much like the others so I had a hunch. Am I disappointed? Well, I think every woman wants to experience what it's like to have a daughter, but I might just have to wait until my boys get married to have those girly bonds. I love our boys and I am just so grateful that the baby appears to be healthy and strong and that we have the opportunity to have children period. I'm excited to meet him and his brothers are so thrilled to be getting another baby brother. They LOVE babies and making them smile and laugh! It's nice that they will be old enough to be big helpers too. Aaron is doing well at work and we are so thankful that he still has a job. Times are tough for a lot of people and we feel very blessed to be stable financially right now. We are all healthy and happy and just enjoying our time together as a family. I'm grateful for good friends who have been there for us through laughter and tears. I'm grateful for my testimony of the Gospel and for a loving Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ who's love for me I can not deny. Their comfort has been a constant companion throughout this past year. I can honestly say that without them, I don't know if I could have found peace through the most difficult trial we have ever faced as a family. We miss Lucas terribly and think about him every day. We will often sit down for dinner and reminisce about the funny things he would do. I don't ever want the boys to forget their brother and so we keep him alive through our memories. Well, that's all for now and I wish everyone a happy holiday season. No matter what the circumstances, there is always something to be grateful for.

Remembering

Well, Shannon asked me to update the blog two trips ago. So I admit I have been a slacker. Maybe one day I will get around to putting the pictures up too. So here is the reader's digest version of what we have been up to.

At the end of July we took the family to St. George for a long weekend getaway and to celebrate our anniversary (It has been ten wonderful years). When we arrived in St. George, Shannon went shopping at the outlets for school clothes for the boys. She got a lot of nice clothes for the new school year. The next night we went to Las Vegas and stayed in a really nice Suite at Mandalay Bay. We ate ourselves silly at the Seaside Buffet that night. The boys were staying in St. George with Shannon's parents. The next morning we were roused to the telephone call informing us that Kaden had fallen off the couch he was sleeping on and was complaining that his arm hurt. We headed back to St. George and took him to the Insta Care in St. George. They determined that his arm was broken and that it broke so easily because he has a bone cyst in his upper humerus. Well, we enjoyed the rest of the vacation but Kaden had to wear a sling. On Saturday night we went to Tuacan and saw CATS the musical. It was entertaining and the boys liked it, but it was so hot even at 10:00 pm.

The other trip that I took was to California to go surfing in San Diego. My brother and his friend came along because they had some work to do in CA and they wanted to catch some waves too. We drove all night but stopped in Las Vegas and ate breakfast at an old Casino at 3 am where they served decent breakfast for a few bucks between the hours of 11:00 pm and 7:00 am. Vegas is a different world. When we did get to San Diego the next morning the surf wasn't great but I was with my older brother and his friend who knew their way around CA, so we headed North to Huntington Beach and found some waves. In all we ended up going to San Diego, Huntington Beach, Newport, Las Angeles (Venice Beach). As I mentioned my brother knows his way around that area and he took me to some amazing places to eat. The best had to be the Fish and Calamari Tacos in Huntington beach. On our way back from CA, after spending a few days there, we stopped in Las Vegas again and watched a cover band, The Crashers, perform. They are some pretty talented guys. I had a good time and it was fun to hang out with my bro for a few days.

Well, this was a short and scattered post. Maybe Shannon won't ask me to post anymore ;). The boys have continued to say and do funny things. Both have started school and Kaden is in soccer. We feel so blessed to have them and are grateful to be expecting our fourth child now. We hope to find out the gender in the next couple of weeks.

To end, and maybe the whole reason I wrote anything tonight is because I was thinking of Lucas. Tomorrow marks one year since he left us and returned to his Father in Heaven. We miss him so much but try to focus on the positive things, like the joy he brought to our family, that he is no longer battling Cancer and going through all that came with it, and that he is now with his Heavenly Father free from care and pain. Lucas, we love and miss you and look forward to the day that we can hold you again. Tomorrow will be a special opportunity to honor you and remember you, as we do everyday. We love you.

Big News!!!

Well, we are excited to announce that we will be adding a new member into our family. My due date is Feb. 3 and we couldn't be more excited!! I had a little scare at my appointment last week when the doctor couldn't find a heart beat however an ultrasound later that day confirmed that everything looked good. I think it's still sinking in and although we are thrilled, we can't help but feel a little anxious in hopes that the baby will be born without complications. We know that no one is exempt from the possibilities of health problems, but we can't let our fears hinder the possibilities of receiving wonderful blessings. (If that makes any sense.) Aaron is still enjoying his job and doing well there. We feel very blessed that he still has employment during this difficult economic time. He recently ran in the Wasatch Back race (or RAGNAR) with a group of friends. It consists of just over 180 miles where each team member takes different legs to complete the race. He had a great time and wants to do it again next year. The boys are having a great summer now that I'm feeling better. I wasn't exactly the most fun and present mother during my bouts with morning sickness but now that it's over I've tried to make up for it. They love to ride their bikes outside and do anything that involves water whether it be playing in the sprinklers, swimming, or going to the water slide park. Kaden’s newest interest is skateboarding. He received one for Christmas and due to the bad winter weather, he didn't try it out until recently. Aaron went and bought himself a skateboard yesterday (yes, he’s almost 35 years old) but he used to be quite the expert when he was a kid and has mad skills so who better to teach Kaden than his dad. They went to the skate park near our house last night and had a great time. Jonas took a scooter so that he wouldn’t feel left out. No one was hurt so I consider it a success and they can’t wait to go back. Kaden will also start soccer next month and hopefully he likes it better than Jonas liked T-Ball. Um yea, we won’t be doing that next year. He was so bored. I can’t believe that school starts in 4 weeks. Where has the summer gone? Jonas is excited to start preschool. He almost knows all of his letters and sounds. He also learned how to ride a 2 wheeler bike. But for some reason he only likes to turn left so he just goes in a circle. I love our boys and I cherish this time that they are small because I know it won’t last forever. We’ve been visiting Lucas’ grave a lot and it’s so cute to hear the things that the boys say to him when we go. They always want to leave him something even if it’s the smallest thing. We went to a friend’s house last week and Jonas had picked some raspberries in the back yard. My friend put them in a Ziploc bag and since we were in the area we decided to stop by and say hello to Lucas. Jonas put one of the raspberries in front of his stone and accidentally stepped on it when he went to kiss his brother's picture. So, he gave Lucas another one. He said, “Here Lucas, when you get resurrected you can eat this raspberry.” That melted my heart. We all miss him so much and still have our moments where the pain feels almost unbearable. But we also feel peace and comfort in knowing the bigger picture and that we will be with him again someday.